Now that you know The Basics of Earning Miles and Points, let me take you down Points Potential Lane.
As I mentioned, we earned most of our miles initially on Delta and it has paid for our major flights on our upcoming trip.
Hey-o Southeast Asia in business/first class…in one month!
Would I purposefully earn miles on Delta now? Probably not. Delta in the last year and a half has turned into a revenue based frequent flier program. For a non-business traveler like me, it doesn’t bode well. I’m a lowly Silver Medallion on their SkyMiles program. While I probably see more complimentary upgrades than most Silver Medallions because my home airport isn’t a huge hub, I’m also not trying (willingly) to spend $2,500 towards earning Silver Medallion status for the next year. I will have enough miles, but I will not have spent enough to maintain my status. So, sadly, we need to spread our wings and fly to more programs. (See what I did there?)
You can read more about Delta Skymiles devaluation and the program turning revenue based here.
That said, we both separately have the Delta Platinum AMEX and will keep it simply for the free companion pass we get each year and checked luggage. It makes the $195 fee worth it. (I don’t know many flights that are cheaper than $195.)
Saying goodbye to Delta actually makes me a bit sad as I love Delta as a brand and I’ve enjoyed my Silver Medallion status. It just doesn’t make fiscal sense if we have other ways of earning free or nearly free flights.
So, if Delta Skymiles aren’t something I’m actively earning on credit cards right now. What would I recommend?
My Favorite Credit Cards (thus far)
Remember, I’ve only been in the points game for about a year and a half. These are the programs for earning miles and points that have worked well for me.
Chase Sapphire Preferred (contact me if you want want a referral)
In the points game, this card has been king for awhile. I use this card for my normal spend on everything. Why? The Ultimate Rewards program, where you can transfer and use your points, is pretty fantastic.
- Current Bonus:
- 40,000 points when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months.
- 5,000 bonus points when you add an additional cardholder
- Benefits: 2x points on travel and dining, no foreign transaction fees, primary auto rental insurance and the ability to transfer points to 11 transfer partners through the Ultimate Rewards program
- Annual Fee: $95 which is waived the first year.
Chase Freedom (contact me if you want want a referral)
Much like the Chase Sapphire Preferred, the Freedom is another great card from Chase and utilizes the same Ultimate Rewards Program. While each purchase on this card earns 1 point, during each quarter, certain purchases earn 5x the points. All you need to do is “register” (hit a button on your account online) before each quarter and boom, you’re earning 5x the points.
Below are the retailers you can earn 5x the points with for this quarter. (Side note: I can’t wait for Christmas and that Amazon 5x bonus. Errrrrbody will be getting gifts through Amazon this year.)
- Current Bonus:
- $200 (20,000 points) limited time offer after spending $500 on purchases in your first three months
- Benefits: Get 5% cash back (5x the points) on up to $1,500 spent at featured stores that change each quarter.
- Annual Fee: $0
Chase Ink Plus
If you’ve ever received a gift card from me, I’ve bought it using this card. That’s because you can get 5x the points at office supply stores and guess what’s sold there- hey-o, gift cards! Plus, television, internet and cable services all earn 5x the points. Oh and 2x the points at gas stations. Oh AND you can transfer points through, you guessed it, Ultimate Rewards. Yup, this card is great. (This is a business credit card.)
- Current Bonus:
- 50,000 points after spending $5,000 in the first three months.
- Benefits: Earn 5x the points at office supply stores, cable, cell and internet service. Plus 2x the points at gas stations and also on hotel accommodations. No foreign transaction fees. Ultimate Rewards transfers.
- Annual Fee: $95
Starwood American Express (Contact me if you want a referral)
While I haven’t used the points I’ve earned on this card (yet) at the hotels that are part of the Starwood Properties, the beauty of this card is you can transfer points to 30 different partners.
Plus, hello, you can use an Amex at Costco.
Cheers to massive amounts of toilet paper and paper towels.
- Current Bonus:
- 25,000 points when you spend $3,000 in purchases within your first three months.
- Benefits: Double points on at Starwood hotels (This includes the Westin and W hotels), plus you can transfer points to more than 30 different partners.
- Annual Fee: $65 is waived the first year.
Great Cards for Non-Everyday Spend
Now these are cards I still have and use sometimes, but the beauty of the points game is you can “earn and burn” points quickly, as the professional churners say. Basically, these are great cards for their points and often amazing benefits. Would I use them for everyday spend? Not usually.
Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select MasterCard
I’m just trying to spread more airline points to other programs, so I got this card and met the minimum quickly. When I got this card it was 50,000 miles, as well as 2 lounge passes. My hunch is that may come back later on, which is better than the current offer.
- Current Bonus:
- 30,000 miles after you make $1,000 in purchases within first 3 months
- Benefits: Free checked bags, early boarding privileges, 2x the miles on AA purchases and 1x the miles for all other purchases.
- Annual Fee: $95 is waived the first year.
UnitedMileage Plus Explorer
Again, this card is simply to earn more miles on other airlines without having to fly. The Star Alliance (which United is a partner) is great for short flights while traveling between countries abroad. I used 10,000 points to fly from Barcelona to Lisbon on TAP airlines last summer.
- Current Bonus:
- 30,000 miles after you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months
- 5,000 miles after you add an authorized user
- Benefits: 2 lounge passes each year you have the card, free checked bag, priority boarding, , 2x the miles on United purchases and no foreign transaction fees. Plus, I think an undervalued benefit is your miles never expire while you have this card.
- Annual Fee: $95 is waived the first year.
Citi Hilton HHonors Reserve
I got this for the $100 statement credit initially. I used it when I stayed at a DoubleTree in Lisbon, and it made my final price incredibly cheap per night. Plus, the immediate Gold Status with this card often means free breakfast and free internet. But the real beauty of this is the 2 weekend night certificates that you can use at any hotel in the Hilton portfolio.
Which basically means the hubster and I will be the odd kids out when we stay at some swanky hotel in South Beach this summer.
- Current Bonus:
- Two weekend night certificates plus a $100 statement credit after spending $2,500 in the first four months.
- Benefits: Earn 10 HHonors points for every dollar spent on hotel stays, 5 points for every dollar spent on airline and car rental purchases and 3 points on every dollar for all other purchases. Automatic Hilton HHonors Gold status. No foreign transaction fees.
- Annual Fee: $95, not waived the first year.
IHG Rewards Club Select Credit Card
Quite simply, I got this card so we could stay at a nice(r) hotel on our last stop in Seoul, South Korea. After 2 weeks of traveling, I’m sure we’ll be happy put our feet in a jacuzzi tub and enjoy room service. I paid our rent with this card and in return it paid for our entire stay at the Intercontinental COEX while in Seoul. Beautiful, right?
- Current Bonus:
- 70,000 points after spending $1000 in the first three months.
- Benefits: Earn 5 points per dollar spent at IHG hotels, 2 points at gas stations, grocery stores and resturants and 1 point on all other purchase. No foreign transaction fees. Platinum Elite Status. Plus, an annual free night for each year you hold the card.
- Annual Fee: $49 is waived the first year.
Does this help at all? I know when I first started in the points game, the information was overwhelming. I’ve tried to break it down into bits that were the most useful information for me when I started.
Next, I’ll show you how once you have any of these cards, you can maximize your miles and points through shopping portals and rewards programs. Meaning, you can double dip with your cards.
That’s peanut butter and chocolate exciting!
Interested in more travel hacking posts?
Start here:
What is Travel Hacking?
The Basics of Earning Miles & Points